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Mixed fortunes for London shops hit by pandemic

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Behind the colourful shopfronts in England’s Lane, a picture-postcard street near north London’s Primrose Hill, business owners are experiencing mixed fortunes as a result of the pandemic lockdown.

While window displays stay empty and shutters are drawn, including at The Washington pub, certain shops are benefitting as customers avoid big queues elsewhere and seek out items that are hard to find at major retailers.

Most shops will soon be allowed to reopen in Britain after two months of virus lockdown. PHOTO: AFP / ISABEL INFANTES

The newsagent and stationery store are enjoying fresh custom from people working remotely and home-schooling their children.

The street’s bike shop has meanwhile struggled to keep up with demand.

“It’s madness right now, everyone is cycling,” Michael Falkowski, co-owner of the Impressed store, tells AFP as he busily fixes a bike.

UK retail sales dived by a record 18.1 percent in April. PHOTO: AFP / ISABEL INFANTES

The Grain bakery has expanded its offering, transforming itself into a mini grocer by replacing tables for customers with shelves.

Owner Kristin Labrague, who has temporarily laid off two of her workers, told AFP that while “it’s a bit frightening to take public transport… we wanted to stay open and feed the community”.

Across the street, the Chamomile cafe has shut.

The street’s bike shop has struggled to keep up with demand. PHOTO: AFP / ISABEL INFANTES

Irit Reed, who runs the eatery with husband David, says “the decision to close was based on the safety of our staff, our customers”.

Ordinarily the cafe would have people waiting patiently for a table and brunch, but it now has a notice attached to its pale blue exterior with a message asking for help.

“Like many other small businesses and industries who have been required to close, we have been hit pretty hard,” it reads.

“If anyone is able to donate to help us and our team through this next challenging period, we would be eternally grateful.

“In return we will be offering a free hot drink or discount once through this crisis,” the message adds.

Lack of control

Irit speaks of the “shock” she has felt.

“We’ve worked hard all our lives, all of a sudden not being able to work is devastating.”

The Chamomile cafe has shut for safety. PHOTO: AFP / ISABEL INFANTES

UK retail sales dived by a record 18.1 percent in April with the country in coronavirus lockdown.

But most shops will soon be allowed to reopen, as Britain — with the world’s second-highest death toll in the coronavirus outbreak — took its biggest step out of lockdown on Monday.

Outdoor markets and car showrooms reopened as businesses seek to lure back customers and recoup losses suffered since Britain effectively shut down on March 23.

In England’s Lane, the Visage hair salon must wait a while longer to reopen, along with pubs, restaurants and gyms throughout Britain.

England’s Lane is a picture-postcard street near north London’s Primrose Hill. PHOTO: AFP / ISABEL INFANTES

Without state funding “I don’t know what we would have done”, says co-owner Estella Cicek, referring to government measures to pay workers’ wages and delay payment of taxes during the lockdown.

Irit is meanwhile upbeat about the future.

“The cafe will reopen no question,” she insists.

Reporting and photos: AFP

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Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space

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Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.

Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.

Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:

  • Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
  • Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
  • Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
  • Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration

Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:

  • A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
  • A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
  • The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.

Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.

True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.

The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:

  • Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
  • Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.

These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.

With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.

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BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet

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Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.

The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.

According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.

With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.

The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.

BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.

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